Unfinished Business
by GleeGeneration23
Summary: A more in depth look at what went through Jack Reagan's head when he was researching his family's military history and the aftermath-missing from 4x13, Danny/Jack Father/Son.


**Hi, **

**So for some reason this episode was really bugging me so I wrote this...**

**I actually love the character of Jack and I am so glad that the writers are writing them in more as they get older. **

**So this idea came from 4x13-i wanted to show Jack's interest in the family 'legacies' and also I wanted to write what would the conversation between Jack and Danny be after this episode and well...this happened. **

**Disclaimer-Nothing is mine and more to the point nothing is accurate so be warned...**

**And please read and review.**

**Also next chapter for Our Blood Will Always Be Blue is up soon-also I am collecting prompts for another story called Missing Moments-this is any scene season 1-4 any pairing, any character any scene that you felt should be added. (No season five due to late Air Date in the UK.) Send these in either review or PM just name of the episode, the number of the episode and what scene you felt was missed. **

**And Enjoy **

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Unfinished Business

A more in depth look at what went through Jack Reagan's head when he was researching his family's military history and the aftermath-missing from 4x13, Danny/Jack father son bonding fluff fic.

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Contrary to the popular belief of many members of his family Jack Reagan was not a kid that needed protecting. He did not need to be sat in the corner like Sean did or publicly reprimanded like Nikki; he had developed a system of keeping his mouth shut and just listening to the conversations around him without passing a comment.

It worked. Most of the time.

And he wasn't a complete idiot. He knew what his dad did for a living, knew what he had done before becoming a cop and knew the strain it took on him. It made him angry at people who didn't understand like Aunt Erin who had accused his dad on going easy on someone who he suspected had never had it easy.

Safe in the dark recess of his mind he could call her a bitch.

Jack had done the research on his family. Paved through the generations of spread out history detailing years of combat, World War One all the way through to Iraq, he'd seen the pictures and the medals and the haunted looks in each member of his family's eye when he asked the questions before his mother jumped in.

Nobody was ever honest.

And then he had thought about himself.

This had led to this predicament. Sitting in the middle of January with the back door open in his pyjamas and wishing he was brave as Ricky Andrews who openly smoked cigarettes in his house when thinking.

What kind of man did it make him, what kind of man would he become that would make him live up to all the others? Generations of Combat and Cops, the legacy was a gun not where it was pointed at, not the colour of the uniform, the cold metal between fingers and the sound of the gunshot and the smoke that followed it.

He fingered the Marine's pamphlet he had picked up from school. It had involved sneaking into the senior's common room (something only the suicidal did) but it had been worth it.

The best of the best. Well what really was he good at? What was he really the best at? Sean was the baby who had survived the fall and was torn between being a cop and a fireman (and even he knew where that was going to go) Nikki was the bright eldest, the female cop, the one that got into Columbia.

Where did that leave him? The drifting middle grandchild that nobody was sure about, the one that nobody attempted to take seriously, the one that was told to leave the table when the conversations got to tough, he was fourteen for Christ sake he knew more than they did sometimes.

Call him selfish but Jack knew he wanted more. He wanted to do _something. _He didn't want the whole college experience and the whole Catholic education and the private school that he had had no say in going to. He wanted to be a part of something bigger, something better than being one of the Commissioner's grandchildren, the ones that had to traipse into church and Sunday school and dinner and pray at least twice a day.

Jack breathed out a sigh watching his breath fog outside leaning his head back against the wall chewing his hangnail. It wasn't like he could openly talk about seriously considering the Marine's instead of college? Any member of his family would sigh sympathetically, pat him on the arm, and tell him he was too young to be making any decisions and then ring on of his parents.

God forbid what happened next.

"Jack?" came a hushed voice to his left and he turned to see his dad paused against the kitchen door watching him his gun held loosely in his hand "What the hell are you doing up? What the hell are you doing here? It's late and a school night"

"So shoot me" Jack deadpanned back and his dad raised his eyebrow at his cheek before sliding next to him sitting down the gun loose on the floor next to him.

"Can I hold it?" Jack asked suddenly inspired and his dad raised an eyebrow before considering him "If you want" he said carefully and Jack reached for the cool black metal feeling it in his hand, he turned to point it into the garden before passing it back.

"That's the family legacy" he said wryly "Not cops, not combat, guns"

His dad blinked "Suppose" he said carefully "Look about before-the case…it's difficult to explain but it wasn't you"

"It's hard trying to put a Marine in prison because that could have been you mom and me a long time ago?" Jack asked dryly and he watched with various degrees of emotion as his dad recoiled as if he had pistol whipped him.

"No" he gasped hoarsely leaning forwards. "No Jack-y I would never do that, not to you or your mother or brother…"

"Do you regret enlisting?" he asked cutting over his dad's half speech and it was enough to stop him short "No" he said carefully "I don't-I didn't have a clue what I was doing back then-before I became a cop"

"So you don't regret what happened?"

"Of course I do what…Look Jack what you see over there and what happens stays with you for the rest of your life, and sometimes you need to take a breath and revaluate and I suppose that's what I did, today-sometimes it creeps up on you and you snap."

Jack sighed hitting his hand hard against the kitchen floor "You're not getting it" he said flatly "You never bloody get it with me, I aint some kid you pack off upstairs or to the kitchen when you think I don't understand something-I understand a lot more than you think-I deserve a say in my own _Fucking_ life"

He watched breathing heavily at his dad's rather unimpressed expression "What are we really talking about here Jack?" he asked and Jack paused before sliding the pamphlet over to his father who stared. "I picked it up as research, but then I started reading it and…its good dad. It's…" he paused looking for the right word "It's me…I think"

His dad let out a shuddering breath and even in the dim light from the streetlight outside Jack could see he had whitened several shades. "You're thinking of the Marines?" he said slowly "Seriously thinking?"

Jack nodded for once spent on all the emotion that had been pent up for so long "And don't say I'm too young" he spat "I'm the same age as Nikki when she stood up and said she wanted to be a cop"

"There's a hell of a difference between a cop and a Marine" his dad pointed out his voice stronger. "Not much" Jack argued "And anyway-it's about protecting people-the risk is just as great, look at Uncle Joe"

His dad really did flinch at that but for the first time in a long time Jack didn't feel bad-for too long he had been walking on eggshells as far as his Uncle was concerned.

And that was nothing thing he was tired off.

"Jack…just…can you give me some time?" his dad pleaded and Jack paused "You kinda sprang this on quick and…before you start you need to _think. _This isn't something to be taken lightly, and if you still think in maybe a year or so that you want to do this, me you and your mom will sit down but Jesus…son give it some thought, give me some time to figure it out for you, to get my head around it"

"Don't ram college down me then" Jack said looking his dad dead in the eye "And don't call one of those family meeting things either"

"Deal" his dad said and Jack shook the offered hand before standing up wincing at the creaking in his bones, "Night dad" he said unsure of what else to say and Danny patted his knee from the floor "Night Kid" he said softly "I'll be up in a few"

That night Jack Reagan fell asleep smiling for the first time in a long time, feeling empty of all the corrosive emotion building.

He never knew that it took a lot longer for Danny to pull himself of the kitchen floor.

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**Let me know what you think-**


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